The Damien Hirst debacle regarding the dating of his artwork continues. This past March, it was reported that the British artist had misattributed several of his formaldehyde sculptures bearing sharks encased in glass vessels — having stated the work was created in 1999, instead of its actual production in 2017. Hirst’s representatives defended the artist stating the work was conceptual in nature, arguing the date given was meant to signify when the idea was first conceived.
In a new Guardian investigation, however, the British publication reveals that Hirst also misdated “at least 1,000 paintings” that were allegedly “made in 2016,” but were actually mass-produced several years later. The works in question stem from “The Currency” series, in which Hirst created 10,000 colorful dotted artworks on A4-sized paper. Potential collectors had the option to either buy one of the paintings for $2,000 USD or its NFT equivalent. If the latter option was chosen, Hirst burned the physical counterpart. The initial sale in 2021 amassed a staggering $21m USD until eventually petering off as the NFT craze subsided.
The artist’s seller, Heni, states that each Currency painting was created by hand in 2016, but according to the Guardian report, “five sources familiar with the creation of the works,” including the painters, say that “many of them were mass-produced in 2018 and 2019.”
“Their accounts suggest at least 1,000 – and possibly several thousand – paintings in “The Currency” series were made during the two-year period. They were produced by dozens of painters hired at Hirst’s company Science Ltd at two studios, in Gloucestershire and London, in what one source described as a “Henry Ford production,” the report continues.” Hirst’s representatives didn’t deny that at least 1,000 “Currency” works were misdated, but did not give an exact number out of the 10,000 produced.
